## **Northamptonshire Area Quaker Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Britain** (Registered charity, number 1180217) **Financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2023**
|**Page**|**Contents**||
|---|---|---|
|2 - 5|nnual report||
|6|Independent e|report|
|7|Receipts & payments account||
|8|Statement of assets & liabilities||
|9 - 11|Notes to the accounts||
# **Northamptonshire Area Quaker Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Britain annual report for the year ended 31 December 2023**
**Full name** Northamptonshire Area Quaker Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Britain
## **Other names by which the charity is known** Northamptonshire Area Meeting
**Organisation type** Charitable incorporated organisation
**Registered charity number** 1180217
## **Principal address**
Quaker Meeting House, Wellington Street, Northampton, NN1 3AS
## **Trustees**
Paul Bertin, Acting Clerk Andrew Halliwell, Treasurer Elizabeth Rees Olaseni Alaka Annette Candy Patrick Braithwaite, from 01/01/2024 John Sturge, from 01/01/2024 Angela Atkins, until 31/12/2023
## **Independent examiner**
Units 1 & 2 North West, 41 Talbot Street, Nottingham, NG1 5GL
## **Governance and management**
The charity is operated under the rules of its constitution adopted 05/10/2018. Trustees are appointed for a period of three years by the Area Meeting following nomination by its Nominations Committee.
the minutes are agreed at each meeting. Membership of the Society of Friends is held within the Area Meeting.
## **Objectives and activities**
The object of Northamptonshire Area Meeting is the furtherance of the general religious and charitable purposes of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Britain in the area of Northamptonshire Area Meeting and beyond.
## **Summary of the main activities undertaken for the public benefit**
The Area Meeting ensures the right holding of public meetings for worship, and regular meetings for church affairs in each of the constituent meetings - Kettering, Northampton and Wellingborough. The Area Meeting supports Quaker witness
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## **Northamptonshire Area Quaker Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Britain**
through its public meetings for worship, and supports social projects for the relief of poverty and suffering as well as witness for peace and reconciliation, both within its own geographical area and more widely through the work of Britain Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends.
Northamptonshire Area Meeting is one of seventy area meetings of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in England, Wales and Scotland. Contributions, donations, legacies, income raised from the use of the property by other charitable and nonprofit making organisations, and interest received are used on deepening and sharing our spiritual experience and acts that arise from our faith. We support work for peace, justice, a sustainable environment, the alleviation of suffering and victims of oppression. Our local meetings for worship are open to all with no tests, and membership of the Society is open to anyone seeking truth.
## **Public benefit statement**
The Trustees confirm that they have complied with the duty in section 17 of the Charities Act 2011 to have due regard to the Charity Commission's general guidance on public benefit, 'Charities and Public Benefit'.
## **Summary of the main achievements during the period**
As we emerge from the pandemic we were able to meet freely for Worship together without restriction. Northampton local meeting has continued to work on making blended meeting work effectively as a permanent feature to extend worship face to face and on line meeting together.
The Meetings have continued to support the work of NDAS, local refugees and have provided a Quaker Kitchen in Wellingborough.
## **Financial review**
The total liquid funds available to the Area Meeting remain stable, at about £360,000 _;_ held between Area Meeting, and its Local Meetings. The trustees consider this to be sufficient to meet the anticipated demands of the Area Meeting, which includes the upkeep of three Mature Meeting Houses. Each local meeting has its own treasurer; the local meeting accounts being consolidated each year within those of the Area Meeting. The three Meeting Houses are not shown as a fixed asset in the accounts, as they are functional properties and there is no intention to sell them. Buildings are insured for £3,762,000 in total.
Additionally, the Area Meeting owns two investment properties. Both are currently leased to Northampton Domestic Abuse Service as refuge houses. Refuge House 1 is insured for £225,000; Refuge House 2 for £204,000. The income from rents is used for general purposes.
It should be noted that although labelled as investment properties, the provision of these two Refuge Houses is undertaken primarily as a means of providing a socially sustainable use for Capital Assets of the Area Meeting and is not managed on profit maximisation principles.
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## **Northamptonshire Area Quaker Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Britain**
The rent of the investment properties provides some income, but the majority of income within the Area Meeting come from the contributions of members and attenders, and from the hiring of the Meeting Houses to other groups. Matching expenditure and income remained challenging in a time of high inflation and fairly static income streams, but the Area Meeting Cash Flow as a whole was able to grow by about £14,000 in 2023.
Hiring Revenues remain below pre-pandemic levels, but are slowly recovering. Member contributions remain broadly flat. Offset against this is the impact of rising inflation, which puts pressures on costs. Reserves remain comfortable enough for now, with cash flows positive overall in 2023.
The three Meeting Houses are all of some age, and inevitably require regular substantial renovation to maintain them.
The combination of substantial cash and investment assets and regular contribution income provide strong risk protection against variable hiring income and ongoing upkeep costs of maintaining its 3 Meeting Houses. The long-term viability of The Area Meeting ultimately rests on maintaining its membership at a viable level in the decades and centuries to come, as existing local meetings grow or decline, and new local meetings arise.
The Funds of the Area Meeting and its constituent Local Meetings are not cumulatively at current risk of running into deficit. The option and facility exists to transfer funds from one fund to another within the Area Meeting where required. Ultimately the contributions of members have always remained the core means of maintaining the liquidity of the Area Meeting and have remained responsive to the needs of the Area Meeting.
Local Meetings have their own Reserves Policy. Northampton Local Meeting implemented a reserves policy in 2015; Kettering Local Meeting implemented theirs in 2017; Wellingborough Local Meeting adopted theirs in July 2020.
Area Meeting does not currently have a separate formal reserves policy, but in expenditure as well as to respond to unforeseen needs, both for property restoration and ongoing support for the concerns supported by members of the Meeting. To this end a rolling budget is maintained and five yearly surveys of the properties are carried out. Whilst Local Meetings pay the costs for everyday repairs and maintenance the Area Meeting itself assumes the responsibility for the renovation works on the Meeting Houses; accordingly, a core and ongoing priority of Area Meeting is to ensure there are sufficient reserves at all times to cover such costs within the Building Fund. Annual Contributions from Local Meetings to the Building Fund are to ensure the Building Fund remains healthy.
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# **Northamptonshire Area Quaker Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Britain**
The next quinquennial survey is due in 2024 and can be expected to call on some of these reserves.
Signed ______________________________________ Date _______________30/5/24
Paul Bertin, Acting Clerk to the Trustees
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## **Independent e report to the trustees of Northamptonshire Area Quaker Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Britain for the year ended 31 December 2023**
I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of Northamptonshire Area Quaker Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Britain (the charity) for the year ended 31 December 2023.
## **Responsibilities and basis of report**
As the trustees of the charity you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:
1. accounting records were not kept in respect of the charity as required by section 130 of the Act; or
2. the accounts do not accord with those records.
I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
Signed ________________ Date ______________30/5/24
Jo Employee of Community Accounting Plus
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## **Northamptonshire Area Quaker Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Britain Receipts & payments account for the year ended 31 December 2023**
|_2022_
Total
Funds
£
**Receipts**
782
Bank interest
378
Collections
19965
Contributions
11448
Donations received
2289
Gift aid
15342
Hire of meeting rooms
15960
Rents received
1658
Solar panels (WMH)
-
Sundry receipts
67822
**Total receipts**
**Payments**
264
Gov: bank charges
1270
Gov: Bookkeeping
-
Gov: Legal & professional
9612
Life: Conferences & courses
27867
Life: Donations paid out
417
Life: Dues and subscriptions
40
Life: Elders & overseers
-
Life: other payments
13
Life: Postage & stationery
129
Life: Safeguarding
367
Life: Website & wifi
5581
Property:Cleaning
5602
Property:Garden Equip & Mntce
5171
Property:Insurances
-
Property:Kitchen & catering
1133
Property: Refuse collection
54892
Property:Repairs & maintenance
1439
Property:Tests & inspections
876
Property:Broadband
7162
Property: Utilities
260
Refuge House: Improvements & rates
1042
Sundry payments
123137
**Total payments**
(55315)
**Net receipts/(payments)**
413391
Cash funds at start of this period
358076
**Cash funds at end of this period**|**Unrestricted**
**Funds**
**£**
3976
290
20698
4900
6083
23231
19065
839
514
**79596**
260
1056
234
1743
25962
410
40
350
18
145
531
7733
3612
3020
74
1164
15566
426
892
13061
984
-
**77281**
2315
357301
**359616**|**Restricted**
**Funds**
**£**
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
**-**
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
**-**
-
775
**775**|**_2023_**
**Total**
**Funds**
**£**
3976
290
20698
4900
6083
23231
19065
839
514
**79596**
260
1056
234
1743
25962
410
40
350
18
145
531
7733
3612
3020
74
1164
15566
426
892
13061
984
-
**77281**
2315
358076
**360391**|
|---|---|---|---|
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## **Northamptonshire Area Quaker Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Britain Statement of assets and liabilities at 31 December 2023**
|_2022_
£
**Cash assets**
358076
Bank accounts
358076
**Investment properties (at cost)**
Kettering House
Endowment funds (see funds note)
56164
Unrestricted funds
118836
175000
200000
Wellingborough House (unrestricted funds)
375000
**Other current assets**
2933
Insurance prepayment
General equipment.
**Liabilities**
(840)
Legal & professional fees
(840)
**Functional property**
In addtion the charity holds functional property comprising
three local meeting houses, with insured values as follows:
Kettering
Wellingborough
Northampton
Type text here|**_2023_**
**£**
360391
**360391**
175000
200000
**375000**
**3020**
(930)
**(930)**
814049
1198220
1248207|
|---|---|
These financial statements are accepted on behalf of the charity by:
Signed ___________________________________ Dated _____________30/5/24
Andrew Halliwell, Treasurer
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## **Northamptonshire Area Quaker Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Britain Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 December 2023**
## **1. Receipts & payments accounts**
Receipts and payments accounts contain a summary of money received and money spent during the period and a list of assets and liabilities at the end of the period. Usually, cash received and cash spent will include transactions through bank accounts and cash in hand.
## **2. Cash Funds summary**
|**Restricted funds**
Gravely Legacy
**Unrestricted funds**
Area General Fund
Area Building Fund
Kettering Local Meeting
Northampton Local Meeting
Wellingborough Local Meeting
Acting as Agent (BYM)|**Opening**
**balance**
**£**
775
**775**
101428
27090
40380
174607
13796
-
**357301**|**Receipts**
**£**
-
**-**
22093
-
8700
28599
17262
2942
**79596**|**(Payments)**
**£**
-
**-**
(14627)
(14828)
(5064)
(28180)
(11640)
(2942)
**(77281)**|**Transfers**
**£**
-
**-**
-
7340
(1920)
(3720)
(1700)
-
**-**|**Closing**
**balance**
**£**
775
**775**
108894
19602
42096
171306
17718
-
**359616**|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The Gravely Legacy is a restricted fund to finance work in the annexe (Community Room), garden and meeting house in Wellingborough. The transfers from the Local Meeting funds to the Area Building fund reflect the quotas charged to the Local Meetings.
In addition, Acting as Agent, the charity collected and paid out donations totalling £2,119 to third parties.
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## **Northamptonshire Area Quaker Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Britain**
## **3. Cash funds Local Meetings detail**
|**Receipts**
Bank interest
Collections
Contributions
Donations received
Gift aid
Hire of meeting rooms
**Total receipts**
**Payments**
Gov: Bank charges
Gov: Legal & Professional fees
Life: Donations paid out
Life: Dues and subscriptions
Life: Postage & stationery
Life: Other
Life: Website & wifi
Property: Cleaning
Property: Garden Equip & Mntce
Property: Kitchen & catering
Property: Refuse collection
Property: Repairs & maintenance
Property: Tests & inspections
Property: Broadband
Property: Utilities
**Total payments**
**Net receipts/(payments)**
Cash funds at start of this period
Transfers between funds
**Cash funds at end of this period**|**Kettering Northampton**
**Funds**
**Funds**
**£**
**£**
595
1706
-
226
332
12147
1880
-
499
2770
5394
11750
**8700**
**28599**
10
-
-
-
890
9980
-
410
-
18
-
330
-
-
859
5612
735
2376
74
-
-
1164
421
1351
120
186
-
367
1955
6386
**5064**
**28180**
3636
419
40380
174607
(1920)
(3720)
**42096**
**171306**|**Wellingborough**
**Funds**
**£**
-
-
7719
1920
1536
6087
**17262**
-
234
2150
-
-
-
144
1262
501
-
-
1985
120
641
4603
**11640**
5622
13796
(1700)
**17718**|
|---|---|---|
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## **Northamptonshire Area Quaker Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Britain**
## **4. Endowment funds analysis**
The following Endowment funds are held as part of the Kettering Investment property
|Betty Desborough fund
Kingsthorpe Land Accumulated Income
Kingsthorpe Land Capital
Land at Old Accumulated Income
Land at Old Capital
William Dry Accumulated Income
William Dry Capital
Woodford Close Accumulated Income
Woodford Close Capital|**£**
50000
890
500
545
500
1338
500
1391
500
**56164**|
|---|---|
The Area Meeting holds within its assets The Betty Desborough Fund, a legacy given specifically for the purposes of Outreach Work and is thus held and used by the Area Meeting as a restricted fund for this purpose. Its current size is £50,000 or 25% of any future sale proceeds of the Kettering investment property, whichever is the greater. Note, the Betty Desborough Fund is currently invested within the Kettering property that is rented out; and that in the event of that property's sale the receipts would be returned to the fund proportionately to its original stake.
Trustees have utilised an accounting convention of dividing its (unrestricted) funds between the General Fund, and a Building Fund. The Building fund is designed to provide a sufficient pot of monies to be used over a 5 year cycle for the preservation in good condition of the 3 Meeting Houses that it owns, topped up each year through contributions from the local meetings. Note that every day maintenance and repairs are paid for by the local meetings directly.
## **5.**
Trustees received no expenses, remuneration or benefits in this period.
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